Bleak: A HalfLife 2 story
by Xenos12
Summary: The story of a young teen in City 17, and his Journey's throughout the world of Half-Life 2.


I was swimming in darkness. Time was lost to me and so was my identity. It was a

peculiar state, not particularly pleasant but it had an odd comfortableness to it. My mind drifted

through this mirror realm undisturbed for what seemed eternity. Then, faint voices cracked the

serenity.

'Honey, honey where's Ben?' Came my Mom's soft coo. But she seemed distressed,

scared. 'Hm? Oh he's in his room." That was my Dad. His voice was harsher but his appearance

was lovable. When I was a small kid I laughed so hard when they hugged, my mom had a few

feet on the short, pudgy, balding guy.

/ThumpThumpThump/ A mechanic knocking and I could feel my being tugged upward

slightly, but not quite, I was still in my world.

'Who's that?' She asked.

'How should I know Diana?' His tone seemed slightly annoyed but distressed as well.

'Maybe you should answer it, we shouldn't be rude to whoever it is Bill.'

I could see now, my vision was wide and precise. The room I was in really was more like a

closet. The walls were bone white and riddled with spider cracks and peeling paint. My bed was

a simple, stained blue mattress on the hard wooden floor. I lifted myself up and stood on both

feet, dazed but stable.

Wiping crusted sleep from my face I cautiously paced to the doorway and leaned out

slightly while my long, thin fingers grasped the door frame. I observed my stout father and tall

mother huddled near the door, they were conversing about something I couldn't pick out. I

glanced around the room. Against the nearest wall was a small, lopsided green sofa with patchy

stains on it. Ahead of me near the center was a circular wooden table to eat on. Not that we used

it.

/ThumpThumpThump/ *Open this door*, crackled an alien voice. It reminded me of the

sound broadcasts I rarely heard while retrieving food. Mom was crying for some reason, which

made my stomach double-knot itself. Dad touched her shoulders and whispered, then turned to

the rotting door, twisted the brass handle and pulled.

My heart jumped to my brain and I was overcome with anticipation and fear. But I still

couldn't see what was behind that door. A hoarse yell erupted and Dad's form fell back several

feet to land hard on the dirty floor. I gasped and hustled over to him.

'Dad are you okay?' My voice trembled. He grimaced and sat up a bit. I swivelled my

head to our home's entrance to see three tall, imposing figures with blue lights for eyes and

masks that covered the rest of their face. Their gloved hands bore thick, shiny rods. The center

stepped inside the threshold followed by the other two. He turned his gaze to mom who was

stricken and wide-eyed with fear.

He crackled, *Are you Diana Ross? Is this man your husband?* The blue eyes traveled and

pierced me. *Is he your son?* A baton was jabbed at me and I felt like dirt to these men.

'Yes, yes and yes! What do you want and why are you here?' The suits ignored her and formed

around my downed father and myself. I was so helpless and stupid, all I could do was be

crouched there near him, daring their gaze.

A blur appeared out of the corner of my eye and beat me across the face. I was sent

writhing on the floor as a fiery rocking pain enveloped my skull. I gently rubbed my cheek to feel

warmth and erratic bumps.

'Stop, please stop this!' They brushed her aside with a solid shove into the bone wall.

_Why is this happening? What have we done to deserve this?_ My mind raced for answers it so

desperately yearned for. The trio resumed it's triangle around my father and I had to drag myself out of the way to escape their heavy boots. I dared a glance of them as they seemed to agree on

something. In horrific detail I observed as they simultaneously brought their clubs above their

masks and in sick synchronization brought them down on my father. The noise ate at my soul it

was so terrible to my ears. Again, and again, again. /ThumpThackThwack/ For the life of me it

went on so long it became a twisted music.

'Noo, Stop it you bastards!' I couldn't hold my tongue to bear this. An ooze of dread

engulfed me and blue lights pierced me as I struggled weakly to stand up. I'm going to die,

they'll do the same to me, I am going to die. I couldn't bear to look down at the crumpled form

in the center of the room. The trio exchanged looks...

Then they laughed.

They laughed heartily, like at a genuinely hilarious joke. The noise chilled me deep beneath my

bones. _These are not men, whatever they are, they cannot be men. _After the laughter ceased all

that was to be done was kick over the table and leave the door remained wide open. I steadied my

legs and slowly walked to my mom, shielding myself from the lump in the room. I passed it and

knelt down to her folded self.

Her long, beautiful, red hair was disheveled and she seemed so tiny there, rolled into a

seated ball. 'Mom,' my voice cracked out words. She did not respond.

'Mom...they're gone.' The whimpering stopped, but she was hiccuping in an exasperated,

uncontrolled manner. I awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder and arms flung around me,

constricting and holding me tight.

I tried to hug her back, to make her feel better, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I

slammed my eyes shut and wrenched my face tight as a wet trickle oozed down my coarse cheek.


End file.
